The Professor at Speaking Truth To Power has a great quote from H.L. Mencken that perfectly describes how we got the president we have now.

If I Ran The Zoo has a cartoon up regarding the upcoming release of the reports on pre-war Iraq intelligence. There was some? We certainly don't look very smart now.

On a sad note, we say goodbye to a wonderful competitor and sportswoman. I absolutely, positively hate snow, but I admired this woman so much for her will, drive and ability to outlast and outperform the competition. She should be used as a role model, not just for women, but for all people who need encouragement in perseverance. Rest in peace.

Over at Sadly, No! they have an article on the appropriate use of the "n" word with some pretty funny examples of racism. Some people should stop while they are ahead.

The Baltimore Sun has an article on the NSA running out of electricity. Why do I keep thinking that Homeland Security is being run by the Keystone Cops?

The demand for electricity to operate its expanding intelligence systems has left the high-tech eavesdropping agency on the verge of exceeding its power supply, the lifeblood of its sprawling 350-acre Fort Meade headquarters, according to current and former intelligence officials.

Agency officials anticipated the problem nearly a decade ago as they looked ahead at the technology needs of the agency, sources said, but it was never made a priority, and now the agency's ability to keep its operations going is threatened. The NSA is already unable to install some costly and sophisticated new equipment, including two new supercomputers, for fear of blowing out the electrical infrastructure, they said.

At minimum, the problem could produce disruptions leading to outages and power surges at the Fort Meade headquarters, hampering the work of intelligence analysts and damaging equipment, they said. At worst, it could force a virtual shutdown of the agency, paralyzing the intelligence operation, erasing crucial intelligence data and causing irreparable damage to computer systems -- all detrimental to the fight against terrorism.

Estimates on how long the agency has to stave off such an overload vary from just two months to less than two years. NSA officials "claim they will not be able to operate more than a month or two longer unless something is done," said a former senior NSA official familiar with the problem, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The inability of the Bush administration to plan for the future is so comprehensive that it makes one wonder if they plan on having one. Emperor Cartagia (Babylon 5) believed, that by allowing the Vorlons to destroy his homeworld in an effort to eradicate all traces of evil, it would elevate him to godhood. It is beginning to look more and more like the neocons have been planning to bring on the end of days since 2001.

What other excuse for this lack of foresight could there be? They aren't even bothering to pretend that they care about future generations. Unless it is money related, in which case they keep trying to hedge their bets with the Paris Hilton escape clause. You want to leaver her money don't you?

The nightstand springs to mind.

Update: I found this great list at Wild Sects. Twenty signs that you might be a Bush supporter. Funny and sad at the same time.

Ethica aside, these guys were party poopers. One in every crowd. Like the casino was going to go broke. Let them figure it out themselves.

Quirky Info

Same Attitude, Different Age

I'm an Air Force brat, Army vet, former Republican, former Democrat, now a reluctant Independent wondering what happened to the country I grew up in and why certain people are determined to destroy freedom and liberty for all who are not exactly like themselves.